Improved sad-iron



UNITED STATES l PATENT OFFICE.

E. L. PRATT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

|MPaovED SAD-IRON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 45,434, dated December 13, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LE. L. PRATT, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Sad- Iron; and I do hereby declare that the foll0wing,taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this speciiication, is a description of my invention suf iicient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention relates to the construction of laundry or sad irons, and has for its object such a consti notion of an iron as shall enable it to be used with greater ease and freedom and with better result than is obtained with the ordinary construction. The common iron, with its handle integral with or fixed upon and directly over its top, is too well known to need description.

My improvement consists primarily in the attachment thereto of an arm-piece extending to the rear of the iron in such manner as to afford a support for the arm and to bring the muscles of the arm and wrist more equitably into play in actuating the iron.

Figure l of the drawings represents a top view of my improved sadiron; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3, a top view of the iron with the handle removed.

a denotes the body of the iron g b, the handle. This handle is made up ot' several parts-namely, a top piece, c, by which the handle is jointed to the iron, a rod, d, extending back from said piece c and carrying a wooden handheld, e, and an arm-ring,j'. The iron a has a horizontal pi n, g, extending across, or partially across,its top, upon which asleeve, h, in the top piece, c, is slid. When applied to the iron, the top piece is kept from lateral movementl by a spring-catch, i, which enters a groove, 7c, in the pin g. The piece c rocks freely upon the pin, the extent of this rocking movement being controlled and adjusted by means of adjusting-screws Z m, one of which is placed in the end of the piece projecting over the front part or toe of the iron, and the other passing through the other end of the piece and down toward or against the heel of the iron. At a short distance in rear of the heel of the iron is the hand hold c, the rod d having a downward inclination where the handle 1s placed upon it, as seen in Fig.'2.

rod, so as to turn freely with the hand. In rear of it the rod d is inclined upward correspondingly with the natural inclination which the arm would have with the iron upon a table of proper height and the hand grasping thc hand-hold e. At the end of the rod is the arm-rin g j', the distance of this ring from the hold e being such as to bring the ring about midway between the wrist and elbow joints.

To use the iron, the hand of the operator is passed through the arm-ring j and grasps the hand-hold e, by means of which the iron is easily propelled over the cloth or fabric to be ironed, the bearing of the arm within the ring bringing a part of the strain otherwise exerted in the wristjoint upon the muscles of the arm.

It will be readily understood that the strength necessary to be exerted to push the iron is much better exerted in rear ofthe iron and with the lower part'of the hand in, or nearly in, the saine horizontal plane of the handle than it can be ou top of or directly over the iron, as in the common construction. The difficulty of propulsion is such that the ordinary iron has to be made comparatively light, in consequence of which a very tiresome downward pressure has to be exerted in addition to the exertion necessary to push the iron forward. But by applying the force in rear of the iron as shown a much greater weight may be given to the iron, thereby saving the exertion of the downward pressure.

The arrangement of the handle iu such manner as to rock freely upon the iron and the application of the adjusting-screws enables the iron to be adapted tothe height of table upon which the ironing process is being effected and to the natural and easiest play of the arm.

The reach of the iron can be extended much farther and to greater advantage by this con struction, as will be readily understood, and the iron can be guided with great facility. The handle does not need to be removed from the arm for change of irons, as the top piece i c needs only to be slid from the pin in one iron This hand-hold is applied loosely upon the and slid upon the pin of another, and no cloth 2. So applying the handle that; the extent or holder is necessary to protect the hand of its rocking-movement. can be regulated and from heat. n adjusted substantially as Vset forth.

Iclaim- E, L. PRATT. p 1. The application of an arm-ring or rest- Witnesses:

piece to the handle of a sad-iron, to operate J. B. CROSBY,

. FRANCIS GoULD.

substantially as described. 

